My Love Debts Are Everywhere!

In the throne room, Velix sat with a grim expression, his eyes fixed on the man in the black cloak standing at the foot of the stairs leading to the throne.

"Why have you come back? I thought you had run away," Velix sneered, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

Ever since the man had promised to help him suppress the rebellions, he had vanished without a trace. This infuriated Velix, filling him with deep regret for ever placing his trust in him.

Fortunately, Albert had recently returned from the Desert of Chaos, giving Velix a moment of relief. Without Albert, he might have completely lost hope amidst the escalating turmoil.

"You..." The black-cloaked man clenched his fists at Velix's mocking words, his annoyance and frustration evident.

Yet, he could do nothing to defend himself. The truth was undeniable—it was his failure.

He hadn't anticipated that one of the Temple of Twilight's secret bases would be exposed. All his operatives, tasked with suppressing the rebellions, had been brutally killed by an unknown assailant.

The news had reached him only days ago, explaining his prolonged absence.

Still, as the old saying goes, "There's no point in speaking to closed ears." No matter how much he explained, Velix would never listen or accept it.

Most importantly, he needed to regain Velix's trust and make him fully reliant on the Temple of Twilight. Without that, their secret plan to bring Velix into their fold would be meaningless.

Subconsciously, his gaze shifted to the Seven Crystal Aurora Magic Staff in Velix's right hand. Greed flickered in his eyes, concealed beneath his hood, but he quickly suppressed it and regained his composure.

"I understand you're very angry, Velix Larrison, and I apologize," the man said, his tone calm and measured. "However, this was not intentional. There was a significant problem with the subordinates I sent to suppress the rebellions—they were all brutally murdered, and I've been investigating the matter for the past few days. I hope you can understand."

Though his voice remained even, a trace of guilt and helplessness lingered beneath the surface, and Velix could sense it.

Despite this, Velix felt deeply disappointed and found it hard to trust the man or the Temple of Twilight any longer. Yet, he wasn't ready to sever ties immediately.

After all, the only reason he had agreed to cooperate with them was to secure his position as emperor. A sudden, overt break could provoke the man and the Temple of Twilight into actions that could threaten his hold on power.

For that reason, he needed to fully leverage them to his advantage and dispose of them once they were no longer useful.

Shaking himself from his thoughts, Velix took a deep breath, allowing his anger to gradually fade.

He looked at the man coldly and said, "I'm not interested in your classic excuses. The only thing that matters now is how you plan to help me end the rebellions. They've already caused me enough trouble, and I expect you—and the Temple of Twilight behind you—not to disappoint me again. If you do, I'll sever our cooperation."

The implied threat in Velix's words caused the man to tremble with barely contained fury.

"Damn it! If this weren't a direct order from that bastard, I'd kill Velix right now," he muttered, his killing intent tightly suppressed. Continue reading stories on empire

In the Temple of Twilight, he held a high and respected position, admired by many. But only Velix had dared to threaten him so openly—an insult he found difficult to tolerate.

Suppressing his fury, he gritted his teeth and replied with feigned indifference, "You don't need to worry about that. I've already requested help from the Temple of Twilight. In two hours, they will arrive in those cities and crush the rebellions."

Since many of his subordinates had been killed by a mysterious figure, he was forced to use his authority to mobilize the main force of the Temple of Twilight. By protocol, this should never have happened, as the main force was only to be mobilized in dire circumstances.

Unfortunately, he was left with no other option. Thankfully, the other apostles had agreed with his decision, which offered him some relief.

In response to his words, Velix gave only a slight nod, his expression devoid of the fervor or enthusiasm he once showed. He had been deceived by this man, and there was no way he could trust the sincerity of his words.

"In that case, I will await the outcome of your actions," he said coolly, his tone tinged with detachment.

"Your Majesty! Bad news!"

Just then, a soldier burst into the throne room, panic and fear evident in his expression.

Velix scowled, irritated by the soldier's disrespect, and shot him a cold, piercing glance.

"What's going on? If your explanation doesn't satisfy me, don't blame me for punishing you," Velix said icily, resting his head against his palm.

The soldier froze, terrified by Velix's threat. He stopped two meters from the stairs leading to the throne, his eyes widening as he saw the mysterious man in the black cloak standing before him.

However, he quickly brushed it aside and hurriedly bowed his head toward Velix, fear evident in his demeanor.

"Forgive my impudence, Your Majesty, but I have urgent news to deliver!" He stammered, his voice trembling.

Anyone could easily see from his frightened expression that the news was of great importance.

Velix narrowed his eyes and spoke coldly, "Then tell me immediately what news has shaken you so."

The soldier hesitated before lifting his head, his voice still trembling as he explained, "I've just received word that all the major cities in the golden quadrangle have been successfully taken by the rebels."

The moment the words reached Velix's ears, his expression shifted dramatically.

*Boom!*

A powerful aura erupted from his body, causing the entire throne room to tremble violently.

The soldier and the man in the black cloak both froze, their expressions morphing into sheer horror as they felt the crushing pressure. The man in the black cloak, in particular, sensed the overwhelming threat emanating from Velix.

"This man possesses terrifying power! Damn it! I've truly been deceived this time," he muttered, fear creeping into his voice.

Based on the intelligence from the Temple of Twilight, he had believed Velix to be a weak emperor, reliant only on his subordinates—Jim Terra, Natasya Nox, and Rain Violet.

But now, he realized the information had been a complete lie. Velix Larrison, the Holy Emperor of this era, had concealed his true strength so well that anyone who underestimated him had been gravely misled.

Fortunately, he had refrained from taking action against Velix, avoiding direct conflict. If he had, he knew he would have deeply regretted it.

Meanwhile, Velix, oblivious to the mysterious man's inner turmoil, gritted his teeth in fury.

"Damn it! How could the Golden Quadrangle cities have fallen so quickly? This doesn't make sense!" Velix roared inwardly, seething with anger.

The Golden Quadrangle referred to the four most powerful and prosperous cities in the Holy Empire of Elysium—Atheris, Valdorn, Thavalor, and Norathis. The name also described their geographical arrangement, forming a rectangle on the map of the Holy Empire.

What many people didn't know, however, was that these four cities served another crucial purpose—defending the capital from enemy attacks.

With Astralyn Capital located at the center of the Holy Empire's map, the four cities were strategically positioned as fortresses to protect the capital and prepare its forces in case of an unexpected assault, such as from the Demon Empire.

Therefore, the importance of these cities couldn't be overstated. But now, with the rebels in control of them, the capital was completely surrounded by enemies.

"Bastards! I sent over twenty thousand soldiers to defend those cities! How could they still fall to the rebels?" Velix snapped, his rage boiling over.

In the face of his fury, the soldier's legs weakened. Still, he forced himself to remain standing, fighting to keep his composure.

"I don't know, Your Majesty! Since the soldiers departed, we haven't received any word from them," the soldier stammered.

*Bang!*

"Useless! All of you are utterly useless! It's a complete waste of resources to have trained and cultivated you all!" Velix roared, punching the armrest of the throne chair.

The impact of his strike was so deafening that it echoed through the throne room and into the hallway beyond.

"Forgive me, Your Majesty! Please, forgive me!" The soldier, unable to endure any longer, immediately collapsed, kowtowing in fear.

But his apologies were in vain. Velix's fury had reached its peak and would not subside until the rebellion was quelled.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

"How did everything come to this?" The man in the black cloak muttered, his brow furrowing as he fell into deep thought.

He was aware of the rebellions plaguing the cities of the Holy Empire of Elysium, but it didn't make sense that the rebels had taken control of the cities so swiftly.

"Something's wrong," he said, his eyes narrowing slightly.

His instincts told him that something major was about to unfold, and he needed to be prepared. If not, the plans of the Temple of Twilight could be ruined.

"Your Majesty, the Emperor! There's devastating news!" A desperate cry echoed as another soldier rushed toward Velix, his face marked with panic.

At the sound of the soldier's voice, Velix's already boiling anger flared up once again, intensifying.

"Damn it! What's the bad news now?" Velix shouted, his voice thick with fury.

The soldier trembled under Velix's furious gaze but quickly gathered his courage and met his eyes with resolve.

"Your Majesty, the situation in the capital is critical," he said, his tone grave.

Velix's eyes widened, and his heart skipped a beat at the words.

"What do you mean?" he asked, his voice shaky.

The soldier hesitated for a moment, gathering his courage. After a few seconds, he gritted his teeth and said, "Your Majesty, the capital is surrounded on all sides by rebel forces."

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A/N: My wonderful and handsome readers, I've created a new novel with a theme quite different from this one. If you have the time or opportunity, please check it out and leave a review! It would mean a lot to me! ( ˶ˆᗜˆ˵ )

Hehehe! Thank you, and don't forget to show your support! ٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و ♡